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 Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:09 pm
It was strange watching her friend grow up like this. Xiu had never really thought of what made Roch into who he was today--she just accepted that he was who he was, and that he was a rather nice boil. But seeing all of this...well, his childhood had been really different from her own. Whereas she had been pampered and brought up to uphold traditions by her strict parents, Roch was...
What? She wasn't sure how to put it. Free? Maybe. It didn't seem like it was really an easy life though.
Feeling as if her stomach had settled, Xiu rose to her feet and stood by the reaper, wondering just where he was headed now. "Do I want to know how you broke your bed?" She murmured, raising a single brow.
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:13 pm
"Scrags," Roch said, as if that answered everything. "When will we do it?" he asked the were.
"Tonight. Past midnight. Oh, and they're waitin' for you in the lot." He turned and walked away, clearly heading to the lot, whatever that was. "We brought in a vampire this time!" he added over his shoulder.
"Jack, those are as bad as the abominable snowmen! Worse, even, they have those creepy eyes," Roch complained, getting to his feet and heading down the street. "You comin?" he called to Xiu. "Or you can stay here. Actually, it'd be better if you stayed here."
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:31 pm
Oh no, she was most certainly not staying here alone! "I-I'm coming with you!" Despite the nervous quiver in her voice, she was obviously stubborn about her decision. Then again, even if she refused, she wasn't sure if she would find herself there anyways once the scene changed. Dreams were a strange thing, and Xiu still knew very little about them. If Roch were to leave her behind here, would dream-life go on on this street? Would it freeze? Or perhaps this place would crumble and disappear as Roch's dream focused on creating a new setting.
Either way, she didn't want to stick around and find out.
"I promise I'll stay out of your way." She added, nodding firmly. It wasn't as if she could get in their way even if she tried. That being said, she wasn't entirely sure what she had agreed to tag along for either. Was she going to regret this?
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:36 pm
The thin man standing in the middle of the empty lot was obviously a vampire. Except the so called empty lot wasn't empty at all. It was a fenced in area between two of the tall, cramped buildings. There were monsters and undead sitting on ramshackle bleachers, munching on snacks, as if waiting for a show to begin.
They started cheering as Roch came into the lot. "Kick his a**, Reaper boil!" a little undead lady bellowed from the stands.
"Thanks Miss Wheedle!" Roch yelled back. He held out a hand, summoning his guitar.
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:50 pm
Oh you have to be kidding. Xiu watched with a kind of horror as Roch stepped into the lot, clutching the front of her dress with sweaty hands. This Roch was just a kid! They expected a kid to fight?!
As usual, the ghoul was so driven by her emotions that she forgot this was all the dream...or perhaps she simply didn't care. Dream or not, she didn't think it felt right for her to stand by while a ten year old fought someone who was, for one thing, older and probably much more experienced.
Still, she didn't interfere. Aside from dragging Roch around, it wasn't as if she could do anything else anyways. It wasn't as she could trip the vampire or do anything to turn the dream in the reaper's favour. Her fingers gripped the edge of her dress a little tighter as she waited for the "event" to begin
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 11:56 am
"A child?" the vampire demanded. "You brought me here to fight a child? And a reaper at that!! Any one of you could kill this boil without thinking, so why are you--"
"Just fight him!" someone bellowed. "Quit with all the jabbering--"
The vampire's hand shot out, backslapping Roch across the face and sending him flying. The boy twisted, falling so he wouldn't be hurt as much and getting to his feet. He rubbed his jaw gingerly, then spat out a bit of blood. "Ow," he said. That was all he said as he rushed forward, swinging his guitar like an ax. The vampire dodged it, then sent an uppercut straight at Roch's gut.
The boy dodged slightly, but it still clipped him, making him grunt.
"Hasn't anyone shown him how to fight?" the vampire demanded.
"What do you think we're doin?" the werewolf demanded.
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 1:43 pm
She didn't understand. Why would they do this? Or better yet, why would Roch actually agree to this? It was a mystery to her why they would even be fighting in the first place. Xiu turned to glance at the spectators, her stomach clenching slightly as she frowned. Was this just a show to them? There was a child fighting a full-grown vampire! Even if he did miraculously win...
She turned back just in time to see the little reaper being backhanded. Sucking in her breath, she watched nervously as he pushed himself back to his feet. Xiu wasn't sure that she could watch this. Dream or not, it was still difficult to watch someone who she considered to be a friend get beat up.
The Baku probably looked like quite the coward as she held her hands over her eyes, peeking out every so often as if to just reassure herself that the little reaper was still in one piece.
For now, anyways.
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 4:39 pm
"You look like you're taking him out and beating him," the vampire said, only to curse as the guitar nearly cut him in half. It was thanks to his speed that he moved out of the way. "Why do you care about a reaper, anyway? They're almost as worthless as--"
The crowd started booing and the were named Fang came out of the stands. "What did you just say about our reaper?" he demanded coldly.
"Your reaper?" the vampire repeated. "How is he--"
"I can handle this myself, Fang!" Roch snapped, wiping his mouth with the back of his forearm.
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 4:59 pm
Even Xiu had to put down her hands and puff her cheek out indignantly at the vampire's words. She had friends who were reapers, and they were most certainly not worthless! The Baku came very close to loudly voicing her opinions when she remembered that...well, Roch was the only one who could recognize her presence, so it wouldn't make much of a difference anyways.
It seemed that more and more questions just kept popping up in her mind as the dream went on, though. For a second, Xiu had the same question as the vampire--what did they mean that Roch was their reaper? She couldn't decide if it sounded like they were defending him because he was "one of them" or...
Shaking her head, Xiu turned her attention back to the fight. "G-go Roch!" She called, though the expression on her face clearly showed that she still wasn't happy about this fight.
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 5:05 pm
The vampire gave the werewolf a condescending stare, then looked at the reaper. All around them people seemed to be thinking the same thing. Or at least they knew what the vampire was thinking. Roch looked at Xiu, giving her a crooked smile that didn't reach his silver eyes. Then he shrugged, popping his neck and going for the vampire again.
He walked around the vampire, a frown of concentration on his face as he searched for a weak spot. Abruptly he dove forward, sliding between the vamp's legs and slamming his guitar up between them.
The vampire screamed in agony, grasping himself and falling forward. He got a small tennis shoe straight to the jaw as Roch squirmed backwards quickly, out of reach. The vamp's eyes glowed red with rage--
The dream went black.
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 5:39 pm
Cringing, the Baku flinched backwards at the hit that the vampire took. It didn't take a genius to know that it had hurt, especially considering that yell that he gave as he collapsed. For a moment, Xiu was hopeful--had Roch won? Was that the end of this battle?
She managed to catch the briefest glimpse of the vampire's eyes before everything went dark.
Xiu glanced around at her surroundings with confusion, doing a full turn on the spot as she tried to figure out what had just happened. Why had the dream just cut off like that? Perhaps Roch was about to wake up?
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 5:44 pm
"Roch, wake up. C'mon, kid, you've been knocked out for days. We even brought in a FEAR healer--you know how much that cost?"
The light came then, slowly bringing the room back into focus. Roch was laying in his bed again, looking perfectly fine. Even the scars he had from before were gone, leaving a perfectly normal looking reaper boil on a pallet on the floor. The werewolf, Fang, was crouched over him.
"Dude... brush your teeth," Roch muttered, starting to roll over and go back to sleep.
"We're goin' to go get the stuff to make your bed, remember?" Fang asked. "C'mon, it's past midnight."
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 6:00 pm
He woke up, but not in the way that Xiu thought he would. Moving towards the bed, she listened to Roch's exchange with a werewolf with a small frown before approaching the reaper. Knocked out for days and a FEAR healer, huh? ...Had he lost that fight against the vampire then? Hesitantly, she stooped down and rest a hand on the boil's head.
"...Shouldn't you get more rest? Getting stuff for your bed...surely that can wait until you're completely better, right?" She wasn't entirely sure what it was that the vampire had done, but what if it had been more dangerous than it initially seemed? Wouldn't it be better if Roch slept a bit more?
Then again, the fact that he didn't have a bed to sleep on bothered the Baku was well. If only she could go in his steed or something!
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 6:05 pm
Roch looked at her blankly. Then his eyes widened with something close to shock. It almost seemed as if he was realizing what she meant until he said--
"Jack! You mean I ain't EATEN in two days??" he asked them all, including her. "I'm dyin'! I'm gonna waste away!" he wailed, his hand on his flat as a board stomach. "Why didn't nobody wake me up before this??" He got to his feet, waving slightly before he gained his balance. "I gotta get some food!"
"Bones is pissed," Fang said, not having heard Xiu. "He's talkin' about trainin' another kid. One that appreciates what he does for them."
"He run out of whiskey again, huh?" Roch said, heading for the kitchen. "Well he can just deal with bein' bone dry for a bit longer."
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 6:16 pm
Xiu looked a bit hopeful at the look of realization that dawned on his face...
...Until he actually spoke. Then she slapped her forehead and emitted a rather loud groan. That was one part about Roch that clearly hadn't changed over the years! Sighing with exasperation, she began to follow him to the kitchen but paused so that she could look at the werewolf boil. Cocking her head to the side, she listen to him with interest. Hmm, training?
Following after Roch, the ghoul didn't seem very pleased as she clasped her hands behind her back and puffed out her cheeks. "You're not really going to go out tonight, are you? After you just recovered?" Xiu looked at him disapprovingly, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to stop him no matter what his choice. Roch was a stubborn one, that was for certain.
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